Characteristics of salivary profiles of oestradiol and progesterone in premenopausal women

Abstract

The objective of the study was to characterize salivary sex steroid levels in 56 women undergoing annual mammography who were participating in a breast density study at the Lynn Sage Breast Center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and to determine the predictability of the patterns within women. Saliva was collected daily by the women at home for one complete menstrual cycle and then again at approximately 6-month intervals. The occurrence of sporadic anovulatory cycles was identified in 12 subjects, and persistent oestradiol (OE2) elevation in all three cycles without significant progesterone levels occurred in another five subjects. In addition, both OE2 and progesterone were significantly lower in initial menstrual cycles than in subsequent cycles, suggestive of an effect of participation in the study on hormone levels. Initial salivary OE2 levels were not good predictors of corresponding levels in either follicular or luteal phases of the menstrual cycles at the 6-month intervals. However, after the initial cycle, progesterone levels were highly predictable within individuals over a period of 6 months (r=0·78, P<0·001). The study emphasizes the natural variation among and within women in the absence of any intervention, and indicates the need for properly controlled studies before attributing changes in hormonal levels to therapy. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of sampling at multiple time points when examining the relationship between hormones and risk.

Evidence for a Role of Progesterone in Menstrual Cycle-Related Variability in Prepulse Inhibition in Healthy Young Women

“…However, saliva 17b-estradiol and progesterone concentrations obtained in this study are within the normal range quoted by the manufacturer of the kit (IBL Immunono-Biological Laboratory, 2009). Our data are also in agreement with those of a number of other studies, which observed 3-8 times higher salivary progesterone levels during the luteal phase, relative to the follicular phase (Walker et al, 1984a;Lipson and Ellison 1996;Gandara et al, 2007), and relatively smaller changes in salivary estrogen levels between the two menstrual phases (Walker et al, 1984a;Read 1993;Chatterton et al, 2005). Further studies with data collection over more than two time points during the menstrual cycle and relatively larger samples are required to confirm and extend the present findings.…”

Altered levels of sex and stress steroid hormones assessed daily over a 28-day cycle in early abstinent cocaine-dependent females

“…Saliva samples of estradiol and progesterone, collected at home on a daily basis, have been shown to provide reliable assessments of menstrual cycle profiles in HC females using similar collection procedures to those documented in the current study as well as previous research (Chatterton et al 2005;Gandara et al 2007). Salivary cortisol assays have also been shown to reliably reflect plasma cortisol in CD individuals across various time points (Fox et al 2006b).…”

“…As such, the current study aims to systematically monitor daily hormonal fluctuations of waking salivary estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol during early abstinence in cocaine-dependent females. Reliable salivary assays for estradiol, progesterone as well as cortisol are now established (Chatterton et al 2005;Fox et al 2006b;Gandara et al 2007) providing a noninvasive method to address this issue. To examine the impact of these hormonal changes on self-reported craving and mood, participants also completed self-report ratings at each phase of the current menstrual cycle.…”

Sex Hormones and Choice under Risk

“…Some hormones such as progesterone vary across the menstrual cycle (see Figure 1) (see for instance, Chatterton et al, 2005). For instance, progesterone rises during the luteal phase after ovulation and declines before menstruation.…”